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An Update on the Fate of Speed in Canada

As I originally reported Sunday, on August 17 when Fox Sports 1 launches in America, Speed will continue to broadcast in Canada. However, advance listings now show that Speed will broadcast motorsports programming from Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 in Canada, instead of the endless repeats that will air on a watered-down version of the channel for American providers who haven’t signed on to carry Fox Sports 1 yet. Usually the CRTC doesn’t allow American-owned services to broadcast a specific channel for Canadians; however, it seems that’s what Speed will do beginning on August 17.

Speed Canada’s updated advance listings for the launch weekend of Fox Sports 1 include these live broadcasts. US broadcaster is in brackets.

What is most interesting is some Fox Sports 2 (which is replacing Fuel TV on August 17) programming, including some things that aired on Fuel TV in the past, such as Lucas Oil Motocross, will now air on Speed.

So, that’s the latest. Better news than I had to report earlier in the week. I’ve reached out to Fox Sports for more information, and if I get any I’ll post another update. For now, here is where all of FS1’s live programming on August 17 will air in Canada.

48 thoughts on “An Update on the Fate of Speed in Canada”

It looks like Fox will broadcast all the racing for which it already owns the Canadian rights to. It would have been a waste if they kept the Canadian rights to certain programming and just alienated their Canadian subscribers by not showing it. I compared the schedules of the Canadian feed of Speed and the new watered-down US feed, and there is very little overlap in programming. Even their original programs air at different times. Strange, but I guess they actually do want to keep their subscribers in Canada. I wonder how the commercial breaks are going to be, as I believe US cable channels are not allowed to sell ads to Canadian advertisers. Maybe we will just see endless ads of Speed programs like Spike TV does when they are blacking out a program in Canada. I find it hard to support a channel without ads, but I guess none of it is actually “original” programming.

Where do you get this weird idea that they would somehow be trying to sell ads to specifically Canadian advertisers? Haven’t you noticed the few ads that are on all the cable channels, American or Canadian, are largely the same ones — for the stupid-looking Zoomies glasses, or whatever the latest useless SlapChop type of thing may be? The ad breaks usually have more relentlessly repeated promos for their own programs than ads, and a lot of the ads on the US cable channels get replaced anyway in Canada by other promos inserted by the Canadian cable companies. They will have the same ads they have now on Speed, which will be the same ones they have on FS1 and FS2, because they’re largely the same ones that are on all the cable channels. They’re not local broadcast stations trying to sell ad time to local advertisers. The subscriber fees are what matters to cable channels.

So far –just commercials promoting speed. 4 of them–over and over and over and over..u get the drift. Cup races 2 x a day for a while tho–that had me smiling. Just have to keep scanning the TV to find the good stuff.

Re: “Usually the CRTC doesn’t allow American-owned services to broadcast a specific channel for Canadians”
I’m not sure what you mean.
I think all of the US-based cable channels send a separate version to Canada, other than maybe something like the NASA channel. If you look at zap2it.com TV listings, you see them listed as, for example, SPEEDCAN and AMCCAN to differentiate them from American versions. The channels might have a lot of the same programs, but not necessarily always airing at the same times, and some shows might air in one country but not the other if rights to a show are owned by another channel.

Speed is not a new channel now applying to get seen in Canada. It’s been seen in Canada now for more than 15 years. We now know that Speed in Canada is staying the same as it has been. Nothing is changing, so they’re not doing anything that violates CRTC regulations. All of the re-organizing, rebranding, or whatever Fox is doing in the US with some of their channels has no effect for Speed in Canada, except for a small number shows being discontinued.

I am not sure if this mean anything or not, but Zap2it is now listing Speed as “Speed Channel International” on the Canadian listings instead of “Speed Channel (Canada)” It’s basically the same schedule we have seen the last few days, just the channel is listed under a different name.. I tried googling it but only came up with this: http://www.foxinternationalchannels.com/brands/speed That appears to be for the Latin American version of Speed.

I’m still seeing the denotation SPEEDCAN in the zap2it listings chart for Rogers Cable, before and after August 17th. I only see the word ‘International’ in the full name of the channel they show after you click-on SPEEDCAN, but I’ll take your for it that it changed from what it had been, as I had never looked at it previously.

It makes me wonder if Fox, some time a few months down the road after FS1 and 2 are established on all the major American carriers, may attempt to re-introduce a “new” Speed channel in the U.S. with a name something like ‘Speed International”.

The alleged “replacing” of Speed with FS1 is just a ploy to get American carriage deals for their new FS1 channel. But the drawback for Fox is ending Speed in the U.S., a successful channel there despite the game shows and reality shows that inexplicably dominated its programming line-up in recent years. There probably is a niche market of American racing fans who want to see something more than just the Nascar stuff that will be on FS1 and 2. Why walk away from them when Fox could keep getting their money? We can see Fox is certainly not giving up on the concept and brand name because they are keeping it going in the other countries.

Speed International is what the channel that will continue to broadcast outside of the US will be called now. That’s from a Fox Sports spokeswoman.

No way Speed relaunches. It makes no sense. Fox is shutting down all of their niche channels (Speed, Fox Soccer and Fuel) in favour of two general interest channels. Most of Speed’s live programming will still air on FS1 or FS2.

Did this Fox spokeswoman say anything about how long this arrangement for Speed outside of the US would continue if it is definitely gone for good in the US with no chance of returning? We know now that their short term plan is to keep sending a Speed channel to Canada to keep getting our money. But if the Speed channel they send to Canada is going to have no worthwhile programming except the live Fox Sports racing on weekends during the racing season, I’m not sure if Canadian viewers and our BDUs would want to renew its contract once it expires, if most of its schedule is old reruns of discontinued shows like “Hard Parts: South Bronx” and “R U Faster Than a Redneck?” that never were of any interest to motorsports viewers.

That would be a lot of speculation of what could happen that would be above what a spokesperson would comment on. Racing season is almost the entire year when you think about it. The problem will be a few years down the road when Fox loses half of NASCAR practice/qualifying to NBC (including Nationwide). That’s a lot of programming. What happens in the future would depend on how many people watch the programming that’s leftover. Most of their highest rated programs will be on FS1 because they are popular anyway.

TV listings on Shaw Direct show NO nascar content on Speed after today (Friday)…..And I guess unless something changes that means we won’t even get to see the first NASCAR Truck race at Mosport in a couple weeks!

Shaw Direct’s listings are wrong. I’ve been assured by media relations at Fox/Speed that they will continue to show all racing programming that airs on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. There is NASCAR practice and the truck race from Michigan on tomorrow.

[QUOTE]For viewers in Canada, as well as the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, Speed was not converted to Fox Sports 1. The exact reasons for this have not been confirmed, although in the case of Canada, it is not clear whether Fox would have had the ability to make such a change given that Speed’s Canadian authorization was based on it being a motorsports-based channel. The version of Speed available in these areas continues to carry various NASCAR and other motorsports events, as well as related studio programming, mostly simulcast with their U.S. broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2, but does not otherwise originate any new programming of its own. During hours when the channel is not simulcasting FS1 or FS2, it carries repeats of Speed’s past reality and documentary programming. The international feed only carries advertising for Speed’s own programming and the Speed2 service, and no outside advertising except for ad avails that may be inserted by local providers.[4][/QUOTE]

The speed coverage of MOTO GP got a major revamp on the speed network, the races were shown live and there were only 2 ad breaks instead of 6. The ad breaks were at sensible points in the race. I hope this doesn’t change, I was at the Indy race so obviously i wasn’t watching the tv, i hope the coverage continues for Brno and onwards!

Speed operates in Canada under a license issued to Speedvision by the CRTC. In 1997 Rogers and Shaw cable petitioned the CRTC to allow it to be aired in Canada, claiming it was unique and not in conflict with other existing Canadian broadcasters. The cable operators stated it as a station which would drive subscribers to purchase a premium cable bundle, which included other Canadian speciality networks. The petition did not go unchallenged. As a US based network broadcasting into Canada, SPEED is not permitted to sell advertising which exclusively targets Canadian viewers. The only revenue SPEED can receive from Canada is cable subscriber fees.

With the creation of Fox Sports 1, SPEED is no longer a US network. It is not viewed anywhere in the United States. It has become exclusively Canadian. Yet, it is not creating/investing into any Canadian programming content. This flies in the face of CRTC rules which also require 51 percent Canadian ownership of a Canadian network. It will be interesting to see if the CRTC allows Fox to continue broadcasting SPEED into Canada. Other networks will certainly challenge it. The CRTC could make a ruling change or it could force Fox to find a Canadian partner. Either way, it should require that Fox invest in Canadian programming to continue airing exclusively to Canadians. After all, they are taking a slice of Canadian cable payments every month. It’s only fair they make some programming investments in Canada.

Although SPEED is technically no longer broadcasting in the US, it is still a US based channel. It is 100% owned by FOX and it is meeting its CRTC license requirements that it was issued back in the 1990s. The CRTC commented on SPEED back in August already, and they were OK with FOX continuing to provide a motor-sports channel .The CRTC will not do anything about it,as technically FOX has not done anything wrong. SPEED is not selling ads to Canadian companies, they have not negotiated favorable contracts for Canadian programming rights, nor have they shifted away from motor-sports. So no Canadian broadcaster has any reason to complain. Basically, SPEED is still being operated as a foreign-owned service.

Frank, I don’t see how you can say SPEED can legitimately operate as a foreign-owned service, when it is now an exclusively Canadian product. The network seen by Canadians is not available to viewers in it’s home country (USA). Not one American cable or satellite provider offers this network anywhere in the US. It is for all intent a Canadian network and as such, they should (and must) have 51 percent of the license owned by a Canadian company AND they must fund a percentage of Canadian content unless they somehow begin to truly operate as an international broadcaster. SPEED will lose it’s license to broadcast to Canadians unless they change they way it’s being presented. They are occupying valuable real-estate on the cable band.

I am not really happy with speed now.You watch anything on speed now you have to sit 75% commercials repeated over & over & over & over & over & over again & again & again & again and then maybe you get to see 20% of the actual event you wanted to watch. It is really tiring watching Dumb & dumber do all those ridiculous crap they. I’m sure that crap goes on here in Canada to we just don’t make a show out of it to show how DUMB those people really look. I tune into speed to watch professional people do their jobs in racing or whatever they do. Not this other junk you play over & over & over & over & over & over & over again & again & again & again & again. Are you people getting the point I hope. Because what you are doing now just sucks Thank-you

What is with the repetitive commercials?
It’s like they want to drive customers away from watching it. Conspiracy theory? Maybe
Geez I miss the way it was. Bring back Speed to the way it was!!!!!!!!!!!

I’d like to know that as well Peter.
Would have been good to watch.
So disappointed in the recent changes.
There should be no reason this should not have been broadcast.
It’s almost like they don’t want Canadians to watch NASCAR.

Speed was killed off so fox could be greedy and get paid for sports commercials and not produce the shows just resell a live feed for sports. Good thing Canadians own nothing in Canada and another country decides another sports channel is better than Speed channel.

Cogeco…at least in Halton, is still carrying Speed right now. I watch Race Hub and Nascar qualifying/practice religiously…so I hope they keep it around. The endless promos/filler instead of commercials are annoying…buy I can tolerate them if it means keeping the Nascar programming.

From a business point of view, I really don’t know how long it can go on like this in Canada, especially with Bell and Rogers dropping it…but I hope it somehow manages to survive. (Unless Fox WANTS it to die…which I hope isn’t the case)

Update: Cogeco (Burlington) served us notice they will be dropping Speed July 15. I have friends who have cable in Hamilton through a smaller company (not sure which one) and they haven’t heard of any plans to drop it…and I think it’s still on Shaw Direct….so Speed is still around in Ontario for now, but getting tough to find. Too bad. I go through my guide and realize all the channels I will never watch, and hate that the one I watch the most is getting cut :(

I heard from someone at work that Speed has already been cut from their service (I think Bell)..reason given is all programming is available on TSN – which of course is NOT true…all the practice/qualifiying/raceday etc is only on Speed.
Still have it on Shaw Direct and haven’t gotten any notice its going away.